Sari Kisilevsky, Inside Higher Ed, The Risk Proposition of Law School Is Changing (June 22, 2026):
[Conventional] narratives miss the real story, which I’ve previously described as a cascade effect. This is the downward pressure on underrepresented students to accept weaker offers (offers charging higher tuition with less aid) to less selective law schools due to the tightening of admission to elite programs. This downward pressure is what poses the greatest danger to talented students of color entering law, and to the long-term health of the legal profession. . . .
The cascade effects on law school enrollment for students of color reverberate throughout their careers. . . .
The picture that emerges from this disaggregated data is one of ever-increasing pressure on students of color and students with the fewest resources . . . . Reporting that focuses only on top-line data and the admissions of an elite few institutions misdirects our focus.
Related TaxProf Blog coverage:
- Law School Debt Declining for Third-Year Lawyers (July 8, 2026)
- ABA: Public Service Loan Forgiveness Ruling Is a Win for Access to Justice (July 4, 2026)
- Reuters: U.S. Law Schools See Sharp Drop in International LL.M. Applications (June 20, 2026)
- Impact of Finalized Student Loan Limits on Law Students and Law Schools (May 10, 2026)
- AccessLex Helps Law Students Who Have Maximized Federal Loans to Secure Private Loans (Mar. 1, 2026)
- TaxProf Op-Ed: Stephens on LL.M. Degrees and Student Loan Limits (Nov. 15, 2025)
- Education Dept. Finalizes PSLF Rule Limiting Who Gets Forgiveness (Nov. 3, 2025)
